AVANIR Subsidiary Xenerex Biosciences Advances to Second Stage of Antibody Agreement With Eos Biotechnology
Xenerex Successfully Generates Antibodies to Human Protein Targets
SAN DIEGO, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Xenerex Biosciences, a subsidiary of AVANIR Pharmaceuticals (Amex: AVN - news) focused on generating fully human monoclonal antibodies, today announced that it has successfully generated antibodies to the first two cancer-target antigens provided by Eos Biotechnology through the parties' research collaboration agreement. Eos has asked Xenerex to proceed to the next stage of their research agreement, which will provide Eos with more information on selected panels of the antibodies that meet the antibody characteristics defined in the agreement.
``Eos Biotechnology was the first collaborator to utilize our technology for generating fully human antibodies. We are very pleased that we have achieved this key first step and that Eos has decided to move forward using the technology we have developed. We view this as an important substantiation of our unique platform technology since the targets were all human proteins,'' said J. David Hansen, President and Chief Operating Officer of Xenerex Biosciences. ``As important as it is for Xenerex to enter into antibody research and commercialization agreements, it is equally important to successfully deliver viable antibody product candidates to our clients. As we proceed with the first two targets, we are also in the process of providing Eos additional data on a third target to determine if they will select further development.''
Xenerex's research collaboration with Eos began in May 2001 with an agreement whereby Xenerex will use its proprietary platform technology to generate fully human monoclonal antibody candidates to three cancer targets supplied by Eos. Under terms of the agreement, Xenerex received research fees for the use of its unique monoclonal antibody technology and could receive additional research fees as potential antibody candidates move through the stages of the Research Agreement. Xenerex could also receive license fee and milestone payments during the development phase, plus royalty payments on sales of products developed by Eos from the antibodies. Eos will be responsible for manufacturing, product development and marketing of any products developed through the agreement.
``Today's announcement speaks directly to the maturation of this valuable antibody generation technology and serves as an important step in the development of our platform,'' said AVANIR's President and Chief Executive Officer Gerald J. Yakatan, Ph.D. ``Advancing the collaboration between Xenerex and Eos represents an important achievement of a milestone that is part of our overall corporate plan.''
The Xenerex technology offers several important advantages to companies looking for human monoclonal antibody generation. Since the technology uses human immune system cells, the entire library of human genes necessary for generating antibodies of high affinity and specificity are present. All of the human genes that are required for antibody development and in vivo somatic mutation are present in the cells that are engrafted into the mice. This allows the technology to generate a diverse panel of fully human antibodies with a range of functional characteristics just as the human body does. The utilization of human cells, which include T-cells and B-cells, in the process differentiates the Xenerex platform from all other methods used to generate human antibodies.
Eos Biotechnology, Inc., a privately funded biotechnology company in South San Francisco, California, develops, applies and integrates a variety of high-throughput genomics, bioinformatics and biological processes for the creation of novel therapeutic and diagnostic products. Eos technologies are being applied to rapidly and cost-effectively build a pipeline of novel and medically important therapeutics and diagnostics in the areas of oncology, angiogenesis and inflammation, with initial product development efforts focused in the area of therapeutic antibodies.
Xenerex, a subsidiary of AVANIR Pharmaceuticals, is a biopharmaceutical company with a customer-focused mission to enable partner companies to develop and commercialize completely human antibody products. The Xenerex technology utilizes human immune system cells engrafted into SCID mice, which do not have a native immune system. The mice are immunized with the target antigen and respond by creating fully human antibodies, which Xenerex evaluates for optimum antibody characteristics against the target. The company's website is xenerex.com. |
